Air-ship.



No. 774,643. PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904. T. O. BENBOW.

AIR SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27 1902.

N0 MODEL 4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A? v I BY 1 A TTOHNEYS PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904.

T. G. BENBOW.

AIR SHIP.

0N FILED M PATENTEDNOV. 8 1904.

4 SHEETS-BHEET 3.

A TTORNE rs INVENTOR I I T. G. BENBOW.

AIR SHIP. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1902.

no MODEL.

No. 774,643. I PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904. T. G. BBNBOW.

AIR SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2'7, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 4-SHEETS-SHBET 4.

WITNESSES: /N VENTOH 4. Q. I ffiam ffimazz, (Cou BY A TTORNE Y S UNTTED STATEs Patented November 8, 1904.

PATENT Orrros.

THOMAS C. BENBOIV, OF ABSAROKEE, MONTANA, ASSIGNOR OF'ONE-HALF TO GEORGE WV. PIERSON, OF RED LODGE, MONTANA, SEVER T. SIMON- SON, OF ABSAROKEE, MONTANA, AND PATRICK LAVELLE, OF COLUM- BUS, MONTANA.

AIR-SHIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,643, dated November 8, 1904.

Application filed March 27, 1902.

To all who? it Uta/y concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs O. BENBOW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Absarokee, in the county of Carbon and State of Montana, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Ships, of which the following is a specification. V n

My invention is an improvemeutin ,air' ships, and especially in that class of such ships which employ gas-bags forming supports for the car; and the invention relates particularly to means for propelling the car in either direction, for causing the same to descend, and for aiding in the ascent of the ship; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 an end view, ofan air-ship embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the car, showing the means for driving the propelling-shafts and for controlling the adjustment thereof to secure the desired movements of the car. Fig. 4 is a de- 5 tail side view illustrating the means for shifting the guide or cam which opens and closes the wings of the propeller-wheels. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section illustrating the devices for driving and opening and closing the wings of the propelling-wheel. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on about line 6 6 ofFig. 4. Figu Tis a cross-sectional view; and Fig. Sis adiagrammatic side view of one of the propellerwheels, illustrating the means for bracing the wings thereof.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the carAis suspended from a longitudinal bar B by means of the cables B, and said bar B is suspended from the top frame D by means of the cables 40 D, and the bridles E of the gas-bags E are connected with the frame D, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be noticed that I employ two gas, bags E and connect their bridles E IHCIGPGIICl". ently with the topframe D and at the opposite sides thereof. These bags E are independent,

and the purpose of employing two is in case one should become punctured in any manner Serial No. 100,238. (No model.)

'it would when deflated drop down beneath the other bag and be sustained thereby during the descent of the ship. Also by employing a top frame and connecting the gas-bags with the opposite sides thereof and suspending the car beneath said top frame at a considerable distance therefrom I provide space for the deflated bag without interfering with the operation of the propeller-wheels, so that the said Wheels Will be capable of operation if one of the bags should be thrown out of action. In the operation referred to it will readily be seen that if one bag E should become deflatedit would drop down and hang between the other gas-bag and the car and the deflated bag and the car would be sustained by the other gas bag or be controlled in its descent thereby, so the ship will gradually sink to the ground. During such operation the propeller-wheels presently described may be employed to assist the gas-bag in controlling the descent of'the car and for steering the ship, as will be understood from the following description.

The car A is provided on its under side with a runner A and springs A between the said runner and the car, the purpose of such construction being to ease the shock of the car in landing. The car is provided with propeller-wheels arranged in pairs, any suitable number of pairs being employed and the wheels of each pair being opposite each other at the opposite sides of the car and operating along the outer side of the car, as will be understood from Figs. 1, 3, and 7. In the construction shown I employ two pairs of wheels, and as the Wheels are constructed and supported alike the description of one will answer for all. The wheel-shafts F are journaled in suitable bearings in the car, such bearings being preferably afforded by the short tubular shafts G,-which carry the camwheels G and sprocket-wheels ,G and are journaled at G in the car, as shown in Fig. 5. .The propeller-wheels H are fixed to the shafts F, and such shafts are provided with sprocketwheels F, geared by sprocket-chains F with an engine or motor I, which latter may be of The hollowshafts Gare provided with grooved.

cam-wheels (:r or other suitable devices by which to effect the opening and closing of the wings of the wheel H as the latter is revolved,

i cated in Flg.

and the said shafts Gr are preferably adjustable in a rotary direction in order to set the cams to open and close the wheel-wings at k different points in the revolution of the;

wheel. This is preferably effected by means of belts r which connect the sprocket-wheels ?r on the same side of the car with the sprocket-wheel J, having an indicator J registering along a dial K.

toothed head or pinion J it can be operated to turn the same.

actuated into engagement with the toothed head J of the stub-shaft and operates when engaged with the said head to lock the sprocket in any position to which it may be 1 This construction enables me to g quickly adjust the sprocket-wheel to position to adjust the wheels H to open in such posiadjusted.

tion as to cause the ship to move forward or back or up or down, as may be desired, and i by making the shifting devices on the opposite sides of the car independent the wings the manner desired. relatively to those on the other side in such manner as to facilitate the turning of the ship or the steering thereof in any direction. Z

of the wheels on one side may be adjusted The wheels H comprise the central disk or hub H and the wings M supported thereby. I show each wheel as provided with 51K wings;

increased or decreased, as desired. wing comprises a frame and a covering M, which may be of silk or other suitable fabric or material, and the frame includes an outer spoke M, fixed at its inner end at M to the hub H and inclining thence laterally away from the car toward its outer end. This outer spoke is lixed and maintains its position in all adjustments of the wing of the wheel. inner spoke N of the wing is pivoted at N in connection with the hub of the wheel and preferably in a bracket N, secured to the inner side of said hub so the outer arm of the spoke N may fold toward and from the fixed spoke M The spoke N has an extension N" inwardly beyond its pivot N, such extension being engaged by the cam-guide of the shifting device and preferably by fitting the extremity N of such spoke in a cam-groove g,

formed in the periphery of the cam G". This cam is waved from side to side, so that it alteri The sprocket-wheel J turns loosely on a stub-shaft J, having a The crank L has 5 a handle L and is fixed to the sprocket J, so I This 1 crank L has a sliding pin L, which is spring- 5 wardly. i scend, the shafts Gshould be given a quarter- The ' nately opens and closes the wings M'of the can be secured to the spokes in any desired manner, and it may be desirable in some instances to employ a bracing-rib M provided between the inner and outer spokes, as indi- 7. In Fig. 8 I show brace-rods extending from each wing forwardly and uniting with the hub. These rods 0, it will be noticed, brace the wings in both directions and increase the stability of the wheels.

if in operation the wheels H are revolved in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 and the wings of said wheels be "arranged to open when below the shafts F, it will be noticed the ship will be caused to move forward. To reverse the direction of the ship, the hollow shafts G may be given a half-revolution, which will cause the wings to open above the shafts and move the ship rear- To cause the ship to ascend or deturn in one direction or the other, While to quickly steer or turn the ship in one direction or the other the opposite shafts G may be adjusted relatively to cause the opposite wheels to open at different points. It will be noticed that by properly marking the dial K it will indicate at a glance the extent to which the sprocket J should be turned to properly adjust the wings of the wheels to operate in Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- In an air-ship the combination with the car,

of the operating-wheels provided with col- I lapsible wings having inner and outer spokes, but manifestly the number of wings may be Eachf and a suitable Web between the same, one of said spokes being foldable whereby to collapse its wings and provided at its inner end with an extension for engagement with the shifting devices, the shaft to which the wheel is secured, the hollow shaft having a camwheel engaged by the inner extension of the folding spoke, a sprocket-wheel on said hollow shaft, a sprocket-wheel on the wheel-shaft, the motor, connections between said motor 1 and the sprocket-wheel on the wheel-shaft,

the indicating-dial, the sprocket-wheel having a hand registering along said dial, means whereby said sprocket-wheel may be turned and may be locked in any desired adjustment, and a chain connecting such sprocket-wheel with the sprocket-wheel of the hollow shaft, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

THOMAS C. BENBOVV. Witnesses:

SoLoN (J. Kmrox, PERRY B. TUnrIN. 

